


Top 5 New York City Spots for Superhero Sightings

by htbthomas



Category: The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, POV Outsider, Season/Series 01, Set in and around, The Common People (Marvel Universe), Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas
Summary: Contributed by TravelAdvisor user HelenWheels45044
Comments: 25
Kudos: 98
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Top 5 New York City Spots for Superhero Sightings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LynnyFanFach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynnyFanFach/gifts).



> Thank you to Katayla and Cinnamongirl for the beta.

**_1\. Coffee A Go-Go, $$, ⭐⭐⭐_ **

_This spot to get a hot cup of Joe and enjoy free wifi is ideal for people watching. The Malcolm X Blvd. location is especially good if you want to catch a glimpse of Harlem's Hero, Mr. Luke Cage._

Helen frowns as she puts away the menu. Seven dollars for a plain latte? In Middletown, you'd never pay close to that. It better be amazing.

When the coffee arrives, she takes a sip—it's good, she'll admit, but they're going to go over budget in a hurry if prices all over New York City are like this. "Gary," she asks her husband, head bent over his phone. "How's your cold brew?"

"Fine," he says, taking a sip then continuing to scroll down his screen.

Helen frowns again. They're in New York City, for goodness sake. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for her; her usual trips have been to Sandusky to the amusement park. Or they were when the kids were still at home. They could never afford to go too far out of state when they had to get double everything—four flights, two rooms, four meals everywhere they went... But now they can live it up. A little.

She has a whole list of places saved and printed out that she wants to try. Places off the beaten path, places the locals go, rather than the touristy places. Surely they're less expensive, too, though she's not sure from the price of the coffee. 

"I was thinking about taking a walk down Malcolm X Boulevard, see some of the neighborhoods in Harlem, maybe?" she asks Gary, trying to draw him into conversation. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good, hon." He takes another sip, then laughs. She knows she didn't say anything funny, so she sneaks a glance at his phone. Facebook. Of course.

She stifles a tiny sigh that Gary wouldn't hear anyway, and picks up her cup to stare out of the window. The neighborhood is quite charming, you'd never know that it was once a hotbed of crime. People of all ages pass by the cafe window, young, old, families, couples, a man walking his dog, a woman out for a jog, a man with a blinding smile and a friendly word for every person he passes.

Wait. That's—That's Luke Cage.

Wow, he is insanely beautiful in person. The videos and photos don't do him justice.

She waves a hand in front of Gary's eyes to get his attention. "Hey, Gary, you'll never believe..."

"Hmm?" he says, not looking up. From years of marriage, she knows he's got a one-track mind whenever he's reading something. His ears might as well not work at all.

"Never mind." If he's not going to pay attention to anything but his phone, then she'll just enjoy people- (or one particular person-) watching on her own.

Luke Cage is talking to a group of men outside a business across the street and a few doors down. She can't tell what it is from where she sits. She watches him listen intently to whatever is being said, then smile and laugh. 

Suddenly, he stops, straightening to his full height. Then she hears it, the sound of squealing tires in the distance, and a police siren. She cranes her neck to see what's going on, and while she does, Luke Cage steps out into the street and walks right into the middle, arms outstretched in front of him. Is he... going to stop the car with his _bare hands_?

She finds out only a minute later when the car comes crashing into him. People around her in the cafe shout in alarm, but she is mesmerized. Luke Cage skids back several hundred feet, only his clothing looking the worse for wear. The car on the other hand? The hood is completely demolished, the driver blinking in shock from behind his deployed airbag.

The patrol car skids to a sideways stop just behind the car and the police quickly take the suspect in hand. Luke Cage brushes off, as though it's only a little dust on his clothes rather than major tears wrecking his nice suit, salutes the officers who nod back a thanks, and then he walks back to his group to continue the conversation.

Helen is amazed that there aren't more gawkers on the scene, and that after the initial shouts of alarm, the cafe of locals had mostly settled down like Luke Cage stopping a getaway car was a normal, daily event. She looks over at Gary. He's frowning down at his screen intensely. She's pretty sure he missed the entire thing, noise and all, but that's not a surprise. 

She puts her hand on his arm to break his concentration. "Hey, I'm gonna get the check, if that's okay."

"Oh!" he says, looking into her face for the first time since they ordered the coffee. "That's fine. Where are we going next?"

She lifts her hand to signal the waitress. "Thought we'd walk around Harlem, maybe stop by the Hamilton museum?"

"Sounds good," he says, and then finally looks out the window at the mess of car littering the street. "Whoa. What happened there?"

"Nothing much," she tells him, and then gets out her credit card.

* * *

**_2\. Royal Dragon Chinese Restaurant - $$$ - ⭐⭐⭐⭐_ **

_*NEWLY RENOVATED* If you're looking for a multi-course meal from one of the most authentic restaurants in Chinatown, look no further. You can feed your whole extended family on their one-of-everything-on-the-menu DR Special, or get a more-than-filling meal for two with the K'un L'un. They even say Iron Fist himself gets his takeout from here, so keep your eyes peeled!_

Helen surveys the table as the dishes are being settled on it. " _This_ is the K'un L'un? How can two people possibly eat all this?"

The waiters don't answer, they just keep setting plates down. She doesn't even recognize most of them, like the spinachy leaves with what might be mushrooms or the one that is a whole fish covered in chunky red sauce. She supposes it's her own fault. she'd wanted to try the most authentic restaurant in Chinatown, and this one came highly recommended by the man at the tea shop.

"I think I read somewhere that in China it's customary to serve too much food to your guests, or it's bad luck or something," Gary says, pulling one of the bowls heaped with noodles toward him. "And if Iron Fist really orders from this place, I bet superheroes burn a lot of energy, so they need more food."

She shrugs. He does read a lot, so maybe it's true. But a lot is online so maybe not. "There's no way we can take the excess home with us, our hotel mini-fridge isn't that big."

The waiter who sets down the last plate tells her, "Don't worry, ma'am. Our patron very generously donates any extra food to the homeless shelter on West 47th."

"Hmm," she says, but he's already heading back to the kitchen. Gary's mouth is full so he doesn't say anything. At least he isn't on his phone. 

She decides to try at least one spoonful of every dish, starting with the noodles, because goodness _sakes_ Gary is already halfway through the plate and she'd better get some before it's all gone. And everything is... pretty good, although she has to set aside the pork dish that seems to be more bone than meat, and the prawns that are breaded on _top_ of the shells. Her favorite is The Devil's Spicy Eggplant dish that is both spicy and sweet.

Gary finishes his fourth cup of tea and abruptly stands. "Gotta hit the can. You see it back there somewhere?"

She points to the back corner. She was there earlier washing her hands at the convenient sink placed outside. He nods and trundles off. 

Pushing back her plate, she settles in for a little people-watching. There aren't many tourists here, mostly locals like the cafe they visited yesterday. Their table isn't the only one piled high with dishes, but there are a lot more than two sitting at each table. There's also been a steady stream of people coming in to get takeout, and the table beside the cash register is filled with paper bags. She watches as a blond curly-haired young man comes in and the woman at the register comes from behind the counter to give him a big hug. He hugs her back and they step to the side to chat. 

But their chat doesn't last long. A man enters from behind pulling a face mask down as he pulls the door shut. And then he pulls out a gun.

"Oh my god!" she gasps before she can stop herself, and the whole room joins her in shouts of alarm to look at the man in front of the door.

"Nobody move! Give me all the money from the register!" he shouts at the cashier. Then to the rest of the room, "And all of you—your money and valuables on the tables!"

Helen's hands shake as she fumbles for her purse. She risks a look back at the bathrooms—what if Gary comes back out, and he gets shot! Her heart starts to race at the thought.

Then she hears a grunt, a heavy thud, and gasps of shock. She whips her head back to the robber to see—

—he's on the ground, another man standing over him. The new man's head is covered by a yellow mask that ties in the back, his hand is outstretched in some sort of martial arts pose, and... glowing golden. As she watches, the new man crushes the gun in his grip and lets it fall to the floor.

Is that... Iron Fist? He seems to match the few descriptions she's read. Where did he come from? Did he just—teleport in somehow? He's one of the superheroes who hasn't gotten much press, not compared to the Avengers, or Spider-Man, or even Luke Cage. Maybe he has powers he's never divulged.

As he starts to tie the robber's hands behind his back, one of the tables near the door begins to applaud. Soon everyone, including Helen, is joining in with whoops and shouts. He lifts the robber in a fireman's carry, accepts one of the orders of takeout from the grateful cashier, and then he's gone.

Gary appears by her side as she's still applauding. "What?" he asks in a confused voice. "I wasn't in the bathroom _that_ long."

* * *

**_3\. Josie's Bar - $$ - ⭐⭐⭐_ **

_This dive bar is known to be a hangout for both the down on their luck and those who want to turn their luck around. Especially if you're able to acquire the services of New York's famous super-detective, Jessica Jones._

"You got any craft beers?" Gary asks the woman behind the bar. 

The bartender gives him a look that should peel his hairline back two more inches. "What does this look like, Williamsburg?" she nearly spits.

He deflates a little. "Any beers?"

She rolls her eyes at him and pours something random from the tap, then sets it on the bar in front of him with a thunk that sloshes the foamy top over the sides.

He takes a sip as she watches. "Mm, good."

Someone else calls for the bartender's attention, and she moves out of earshot. They settle in at seats along the bar; most of the tables and booths are occupied.

He sighs and turns to Helen. "Tell me, why did you want to come here of all places?"

Because it looked interesting? It's smack in the middle of Hell's Kitchen, and she's hoping for a Daredevil sighting, honestly. And after her good luck so far, she's feeling like taking chances? "It got good reviews," she tells him.

"Really?" He shakes his head but continues to drink his beer.

"You know, she just doesn't like tourists," a voice says from her other side.

"Excuse me?" Helen asks as she turns, trying to be polite. It's a woman in a black leather jacket and a gray scarf. She has a line of highball glasses in front of her and no obvious companion.

"Yeah," the woman says, knocking back the rest of the drink in her hand, "you two scream 'tourist' from a hundred yards away with your sun visor and his fanny pack." 

"Oh, I'm not arguing," Helen says, blushing a little. "We're from Ohio. But we're trying to avoid the touristy places. Or at least I am."

"Congratulations, this is about as far from touristy as you can get." She raises her glass toward the bartender.

"Another, Jessica?" the bartender says with no judgment, waving a half-full Jack Daniels. "You might as well keep the whole bottle." The bartender pulls the pouring spout out of the top and sets it in front of Jessica.

"I could have done that at home, Josie. I come here for the top-notch service." But Josie leaves the bottle and walks away. "Shit, I never should have switched watering holes."

Curious, Helen turns more toward Jessica, without a niggle of remorse for ignoring Gary. That's why they're here, anyway. To see and do new things, meet interesting people. "Where did you used to go?"

"Place called Luke's. Under new management now, not the same."

"Ah." Helen mentally notes that—she'd actually thought about going there when she heard Luke Cage used to work there. "Um, well," she says, not sure how to continue the conversation, "Cheers?" She lifts her wine glass.

Jessica smirks and clinks the whole whiskey bottle against Helen's glass. "Cheers."

They're quiet for a few minutes. Gary has started watching the game that's on the TV behind the bar, so he seems content. So she sits there, soaking in the atmosphere. A few people are playing a game of pool, others darts; various groups sit at tables and talk or watch the game. This place could fit in even back home, but the people have a distinct otherness, something unique to New York City that she doesn't often see in Middletown.

"So, what do people around here do for f—" Helen starts to ask Jessica.

But Jessica cuts her off. "Sorry, love to keep shooting the shit, but I'm actually here working."

Working? While downing an entire bottle of booze? She tries not to be offended; Jessica clearly doesn't walk to talk to some 'hick tourist.' But then Helen notices Jessica's phone sitting on the bar beside her, which looks to be recording the conversation of the man and woman a few seats away. There's a small wired microphone leading out of the audio jack, and she watches Jessica surreptitiously nudge it closer to the couple to get better quality.

Helen tries to listen in herself, now very curious. Is Jessica a spy? No, that's silly. A detective? An undercover cop? Maybe the bottle of whiskey is actually just colored water and Josie is in on it... 

As Helen watches, the man Jessica is recording moves his elbow as he's gesturing about something and knocks over his pint of beer. The liquid sloshes across the bar in a golden torrent. Jessica yelps and rescues her phone, but isn't fast enough to save the microphone. "Shit," she mutters.

"Hey, sorry..." the man says. "I'll—" Then his face changes as he seems to recognize Jessica. "Wait. You—I've been seeing you all over town. Have you been following me?" He stands up to face Jessica, face mottling red with anger.

"Me?" Jessica says, trying to hide the screen of her phone. "Naw, I've just got one of those faces."

His face screws up as he regards her. "No, I do know you. You're that P.I. chick. The one with powers. Did my wife hire you?"

Powers? Helen thinks with surprise.

"Wife?" the man's date asks, her tone rising.

Jessica puts her hands up. "Ya got me, Jessica Jones, at your service. And I think your wife's divorce lawyer will find a lot of use for the conversation I just recorded."

If the man's face was mottled red before, it's now as red as a beet. He hauls back and throws a punch at Jessica, who catches it with one hand as easily as if the man were a five-year-old child. She looks back at Helen. "You saw that, Ohio, right? He threw the first punch?"

Helen nods back, speechless.

"'S what I thought." With a flick of her wrist, she throws him back, tumbling end over end to crash into one of the tables several yards away. His crash coincides with what must be a good play in the game on the TV as the crowd not watching their little drama cheer as one. Jessica grabs the bottle from the bar. "Time I was going. Nice to meet you." She tosses a business card to the man's fuming date. "If you ever need my services." Then she's stepping over the man crumpled on the floor and out the door.

"How exciting!" Helen says, turning to Gary, but of course, he's completely engrossed in the game, talking about the last play with the guy sitting on the other side of him.

Gary hears her, though, and says, pointing at the screen, "Yeah! Did you see that? Incredible!"

"I completely agree," Helen says, smiling over her wine glass.

* * *

**_4\. Metro Diner - $$ - ⭐⭐⭐⭐_ **

_If you're looking for a taste of nostalgia, the Metro Diner really serves it up. And though located in a neighborhood once known for its rampant crime, Hell's Kitchen's own Daredevil keeps the streets safe._

"Weren't we already in this part of town last night?" Gary asks.

Helen's surprised he even noticed. He hasn't really seemed to enjoy anything about this trip, once-in-a-lifetime or not. She's starting to think she should have come on this trip alone, or with Jane instead. "Yes, but I want to see more." She has her reasons, but Gary probably wouldn't understand them. "Would you rather shell out a hundred bucks for a harbor tour or something?" That was one of the things on her original list that she crossed out.

"Maybe. We've been penny-pinching so much we could probably afford it."

She shakes her head. "And still get souvenirs at the theater tomorrow? I know you're going to want to get a T-shirt or a mug."

"Yeah," he concedes. Then he takes her hand, stopping her in front of a old-style classic diner. "I just know how much you looked forward to this trip, and I'm sad you aren't getting to see everything you wanted."

Her heart warms. Maybe he's noticed more than she thought. "Maybe I'm not getting to everything on my list. But I'm discovering things I never planned this way." She leans in close to plant a kiss on his cheek. "And it's a lot of fun."

"As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters," he says softly. He shifts his face to turn her cheek kiss into something more, and then—

—Helen is pulled backward with a vicious yank. Her purse strap breaks from the force of the pull and she sees a young man go running down the sidewalk, zigzagging his way through pedestrians who barely look up. 

"Hey!" Gary cries out angrily. "Stop, thief!"

He starts to jog toward the thief, but Helen catches his arm. "No! No, you'll never catch him now, he's too far away." And his cardiologist had warned him about strenuous physical activity, but she doesn't say that.

Gary starts to swear under his breath, and Helen can feel her face getting hot and the tears starting to well up. Her location list was in there, her phone with all their pictures not yet synced to the cloud, her makeup, her IDs, her... everything. Through a haze clouding her eyes, she watches the thief take a quick turn into an alley.

That's it. It's gone forever now.

Then to her amazement, she sees the thief propelled backwards out of the alley onto the sidewalk, landing in a crumpled heap. The pedestrians around him notice _that_ , a couple of them gasping in fear. What happened? Did—? She doesn't finish that thought, she just takes off at a jog. 

As she gets closer, the thief tries to stand, but he's knocked back down by a dark-clothed figure. No, _clubbed_ down, she sees when she's pushed her way through the gathering crowd.

It's Daredevil, dressed head to toe in dark crimson leather, standing over the groaning thief. She hadn't dared to hope he'd show up, but when she'd researched last night where he's been sighted most, it was this neighborhood. "Th—that's mine," she tells him, pointing to the purse and its scattered contents.

"He's done with it." Daredevil's voice is gravelly, but the sarcasm shines through. The thief starts to try to crawl away, and he gets a kick for his trouble. "Right?"

The thief just moans and goes still. He could be faking, but Helen doesn't care. Her things are safe. "Thank you."

"You should call 911," he advises, then turns and runs, parkouring up the sides of the walls and fire escapes until he's on the rooftop and away.

"Helen! Helen!" Gary finally arrives, out of breath despite only walking fast. He looks down at the injured thief, who is apparently not faking his unconsciousness. "Who caught him?"

"Good Samaritan," she says, dialing 911 on the phone. "You want to try that diner we passed? I suddenly have a big appetite."

* * *

**_5\. The Watson Theatre - $$$ - ⭐⭐⭐⭐_ **

_There are always a ton of shows to see on Broadway, some old, some new. The Historic Watson Theatre (now under renovation) is a must-see! Even New York's Finest—and the city's Defenders—like to take in a show once in a while._

The lights go up at intermission and Helen sighs happily. This is their last night in New York City, and she'd saved the best for last. A real live Broadway show! They'd booked the tickets well in advance, even though the theater hadn't been sold out for this revival of _The Importance of Being Earnest: The Musical_ , she hadn't wanted to take any chances. "Well, what do you think?"

Gary is smiling widely. "It's spectacular! I can't believe how much better this is than the musical Christine did in high school."

She bats him on the arm. "Of course it's better than a high school production."

He laughs. "For what we paid, it better be." Then he stands, holding his hand out to her. "Want to go get those souvenirs?"

She's smiling when he leads her by the hand to the mezzanine lobby. She'd spent a lot of the trip thinking he was only tagging along for the ride, that he would have rather stayed home for a week and watched TV. But the last two days have been fun, romantic even, like they're starting to re-capture the feeling they had as a young couple. "I think I want to get one of the posters I saw when we were coming in." It would make a good keepsake.

They drift to the back of the long line, and she hopes they won't sell out of the one she wants, or that the line moves quickly enough to get back to their seats by the end of intermission. Then she smells it.

"Gary," she says, tugging on his sleeve. "Is someone smoking in here?"

"I don't think that's allowed anymore." But then he smells it too. "Is something... on fire?"

They're not the only ones. A buzz is starting up around the crowd, packed together in the lobby. "Maybe it's coming from outside...?"

An alarm starts to blare and she lets out a scream, half of surprise, half of fear. It _is_ a fire! Grabbing Gary's arm, she frantically looks for the exits, not sure which way to go. She hears a shout from across the packed lobby. "Hey, everyone stay calm!" It's a woman in a fitted black dress and—what looks like a metallic robot arm? "I'm NYPD!" she shouts, flashing a badge above people's heads. "The exit here is clear! Follow me!"

Suddenly the rush of people toward that exit is so strong that she loses her hold on Gary. Panicked, she calls out to him, but they get separated almost immediately and she can no longer see his shock of salt and pepper hair. The smell of smoke is getting stronger, and when she reaches the stairwell smoke is starting to filter in.

She wants to cover her mouth with the neckline of her dress to filter out the smoke, but the fabric isn't loose enough. And It feels hot in the stairwell, too hot, like she's going to run out of air. She starts to feel faint, her feet unsteady on the steps, and then her heel catches the edge in just the wrong way and she's falling...

When she wakes up again, she's outside, lying on the pavement. It's bright, and noisy but it's fresh, cool air, and someone has placed a jacket under her head to cushion it. She tries to sit up, but a wave of dizziness sends her back down.

"Whoa, whoa," a calm voice female says, and gentle hands steady her. "I'm a nurse; a friend of mine got you out of there. Don't push yourself—just lie here for a while."

So she does, looking up at the flashing marquee lights all around her. But her eyes won't focus, even on the face of her caregiver. It's kind of surreal how bright and cheery everything looks, like a fantasy wonderland, but she can hear screams and calls of panic from the people all around her. 

The calm voice turns to a shout as well. "Luke? Luke! Is everyone out yet?"

There's an answer in the distance, but it cuts through the hubbub. "I think there are a few people still stuck on the upper balcony. Jessica and Matt are going after them." 

"All right, I'll be here until the paramedics arrive."

Helen starts to cough, her lungs seizing up, and she curls up into a fetal position until the spasm passes. The owner of the calm voice pats her with one hand. "Are you okay? Can you breathe?" Helen tries to nod.

"Helen!" Gary's voice is suddenly at her back and she feels his hands on her shoulder. "Are you all right? Is she okay? We got separated."

"I think so, but you should make sure the paramedics check her over for smoke inhalation—it can be dangerous."

"How far away are they?" Gary asks. And like magic, Helen hears the chirp of a siren, an ambulance trying to clear away onlookers to get to the injured.

After that things go hazy again, but she finds herself poked and prodded and a cold stethoscope pressed against her bare skin while she tries to breathe deeply. Gary's there the whole time, hovering worriedly. Finally they let her go, with promises to get scans at a hospital, and Gary helps her walk toward the street. Her head is starting to clear, and the burning in her lungs has mostly subsided.

Gary wraps his arms around her. "I was so worried. I can't believe that the one time we go to see a Broadway show the theater catches on fire."

She chuckles, and it turns into a tiny cough. "Would have been surprising if it _hadn't_."

He pulls back to look at her. "What do you mean?"

But before she can answer, a voice calls out from beside them. "Hey, Ohio! Glad you got out of there okay."

She turns her head. It's Jessica. She suddenly grasps that it's probably the same Jessica that was helping people get out of the theater with Luke. Luke—who might be Luke Cage? And... someone named Matt? She nods, a little stunned at the realization. "Thanks for helping out."

Jessica shrugs. "My friends and I were taking in a show, so... Eh, it's what we do." She gives a little wave and disappears back into the crowd. Later Helen will read the news article that the whole Defenders team were there almost from the moment the fire was discovered, but at that moment, she's just glad there are people like Jessica and Luke looking out for common people like her.

"Who was that?" Gary asks.

"Someone I met at the bar the other day." At his confusion, she adds, "Remind me on the plane. Have I got a story to tell _you._ "


End file.
